published_or_final_version / Urban Planning and Design / Master / Master of Urban Design

Background: Previous studies testing the association between the built environment and walking behaviour have been largely cross-sectional and have yielded mixed results. This study reports on a natural experiment in which changes to the built environment were implemented at a university campus in Hong Kong. Longitudinal data on walking behaviours were collected using surveys, one before and one after changes to the built environment, to test the influence of changes in the built environment on walking behaviour. / Experimental design: Changes to land use, campus bus services, pedestrian network, and population density were collected from campus maps, the university developmental office, and field surveys. Motivational data towards walking were collected at baseline in March 2012 (n=198) and after changes to the built environment from the same cohort of subjects in December 2012 (n=169) using a Theory of Planned behaviour (TPB) based questionnaire. Walking behaviours were objectively measured by a walking-oriented diary in the two points of survey. / Methods: Geographic information system (GIS) was used to map the changes to the built environment and walking behaviours. Walking outcomes were measured in terms of: i) walking distance, ii) destination-oriented walking, and iii) walked altitude range. Multivariate linear regression models were used to test for associations between changes to the built environment and walking behaviours. A walking accessibility measure that allows comparison of perception and reality of walking in this hilly community is developed by GIS. Structural equation modelling is used to test the causal relationship between the motivational factors, including the salient beliefs, attitude, perceived behaviour control (PBC), subjective norm (SN), intention, and walking outcomes. / Results: We found that i) changes to the built environment lead to changes in walking behaviours. Specifically, Greater pedestrian network connectivity predicted longer walking distances and an increased likelihood of walking as a means of transportation. The increased use of recreational (vs. work) buildings, largely located at mid-range altitudes, as well as increased population density predicted greater walking distances. Having a greater density of work buildings at lower altitudes deceased subjects’ walked altitude range, while having more bus services and a greater population density encouraged people to increase their walked altitude range; / ii) We developed a practical walking accessibility measure, which was used to visualize the geography of the difference between the perception and reality of walking in this hilly environment for use by urban planners and public health practitioners. We practically addressed the issues in calculating accessibility measures in the present context arise primarily from problems with data quality, three-dimensional pedestrian network modelling and the adequacy of accessibility methods for describing and predicting walking behaviour; and / ii) We found that PBC and attitude were the major determinants of intention, while SN did not exert a significant effect in prediction of intention and walking behaviour. Compared with the baseline survey, PBC has an increased effect on the intention in the follow-up survey. This study partially supports the proposed causal nature of the TPB as a framework for investigating the influence of changes to the built environment on walking behaviours. / 研究背景：现有建成环境与步行行为关系的研究以社区横向比较为主，很难得到一致结论。本论文利用一个建成环境的自然实验，跟踪同一批样本，在建成环境改变之前后，分别采集一次数据，以探索建成环境变化对步行行为的影响。 / 实验设计：建成环境变化发生在香港一所大学校园，研究者收集了包括土地利用及建筑功能、校园巴士服务、步行径、人口密度数据等变化数据。我们根据计划行为理论设计了问卷，进行了样本感知变化的对比研究；同时，利用修订的侧重于步行的出行日志，进行步行行为的数据采集。第一次数据采集在建成环境变化前的2012年3月进行，样本数量为198人；针对同一批样本的第二次数据采集在建成环境变化后的2012年12月进行，剩余169人参加。 / 方法：我们利用地理信息系统（GIS）客观度量建成环境并进行步行行为的地图绘制。步行行为的变化被量化为：i) 步行距离，ii) 以步行为主的出行所占的比例，iii) 步行所跨越的高程的变化（实验区为丘陵地貌）。通过多元线性回归模型，我们分析客观度量的建成环境变化对步行行为的影响。实验过程中，我们发现样本在步行出行选择时对丘陵地貌的感知存在空间差异，因此，我们利用GIS 建立了步行可达性模型，以度量这种感知与真实的差异。通过结构方程模型，我们分析了计划行为理论问卷所得的数据。 / 结果：我们发现i) 建成环境的改变导致了步行行为的改变。具体来讲，提高步行径的连接度，可以鼓励人们选择步行并增加他们的步行距离；建成环境中增加的生活功能的建筑，由于大多集中与校园中部，增加了样本的步行距离；人口密度的增加也提高了人们选择步行的可能性并增加了步行距离。影响样本步行所跨越高度变化的因素有在低海拔处新建的教学大楼、调整的巴士服务以及人口密度的变化。 / ii) 我们开发的步行可达性度量，以地图可视化的方式呈现了样本对丘陵地貌社区的感知与真实的空间差异。在此过程中，我们解决了针对步行行为的数据质量、三维步行径建模分析、以及实用可达性建模等问题。 / iii) 在计划行为理论模型的分析中，我们发现认知行为控制和态度是步行行为意向的决定因素，而行为主观规范的影响并不明显。相对于建成环境变化前，认知行为控制对行为意图的影响程度有所增加。该研究证明计划行为理论可以应用于建成环境变化对步行行为影响的研究中。 / Sun, Guibo = 建成环境变化对步行行为影响之探索 : 以发生在香港一所大学校园的自然实验为例 / 孙贵博. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2014. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 79-88). / Abstracts also in Chinese. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on 03, November, 2016). / Sun, Guibo. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only.